1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to aircraft and to television entertainment systems for aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, many airplanes have been provided with motion picture projecting equipment for entertaining passengers during longer flights. In parallel to this endeavor, attempts have been made to provide passenger entertainment with the aid of electronic video display systems.
Prior-art attempts in the latter area have been sporadic and unsuccessful from a long-term point of view. In particular, the prior art has been unsuccessful in evolving a video entertainment system capable of receiving broadcast television signals off-the-air and of displaying these received television signals aboard the aircraft.
The drawbacks of the lack of such a television receiving and display system aboard aircraft are being felt with increasing severity.
In particular, the personnel in many types of aircraft and on many types of flights is increasingly burdened with various duties leaving less and less time for setting up and supervising motion picture projecting equipment during periods where such entertainment would be most welcomed by passengers.
In the case of electronic video display systems operating from video recordings, such as video tapes, the problem is somewhat alleviated, but experience has shown that a certain amount of attention still has to be devoted by the aircraft personnel to a smooth operation of the equipment and a prevention of undue tampering by unskilled passengers.
In the exploration of a workable alternative, the prior art has made attempts to provide for an acceptable reception of broadcast television programs aboard aircraft. However, prior-art efforts in this direction has foundered on the seeming impossibility to provide an acceptable solution with technologically feasible means.
This has so far deprived airline passengers of a copious source of entertainment, with the expression "entertainment" being used herein not only with a view to passenger diversion, amusement and hospitality, but also with sufficient lattitude to cover passenger information.
In this respect, it has long been recognized as highly desirable that passengers of aircraft be given pertinent information about their destination while still in the air. This traditionally has included reports about the weather and other pertinent data about their place of destination. In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to provide this information without some inconvenience to the otherwise busy aircraft personnel and at a time when the aircraft passengers are at leisure to listen to it. In principle, this problem could be solved by enabling the passengers to view and listen to television broadcasts emanating from the city or region which they are approaching by air. In this manner, passengers mainly through the news portion of viewed television programs, would be apprized of weather data and other pertinent information about their point of destination.
This would free the aircraft personnel for other important tasks, thereby augmenting the comfort and also the security of the passengers during their flight. Unfortunately, the prior art has so far been unable to provide a kind of television receiving system that would render satisfaction of this strongly felt need possible.
Another strongly felt need arises from the confined nature of air travel which tends to render aircraft personnel and passengers somewhat captive to their mutual moods and sentiments. In this respect, it has been observed that an increasing nervosity of the airline passengers in an uncomfortable or difficult situation tends to project itself to the aircraft personnel even if the same has received training to cope with such situations.
In this respect, it would be highly advantageous if passengers who are caught in a long wait in the aircraft on the ground or who are exposed to weather conditions or other difficulties in the air could be diverted by a viewing of their favorite television programs as they are broadcast at the time. This would work to the benefit of both passengers and personnel and ultimately to the increased comfort and safety of the airline passengers and the flight personnel.
Again, the shortcomings of the prior art have so far rendered the realization of this benefit impossible.